The lures from the Whiplash Factory brand and sister company Valley Hill have begun to find themselves in tackle stores across America. They are finding a place in the tackle boxes of bass anglers who love fishing Japanese lures and like to show the fish something new. The team that designed and produced the lures in Japan loves to go fishing and got their first taste of American fishing when they attended ICAST.
The following is a recap of their experiences fishing here and how the lures performed for bass, exotics like peacock bass, and saltwater species during their trip to the United States. It was a memorable trip, and they were able to land many different species during their fishing time after the tradeshow.
Getting to ICAST
For the Whiplash Factory team in Japan, it was one of the happiest moments of their careers when they visited the United States for ICAST. It was not only for the big opportunity of the new business in the country, but also the chance to go fishing in America. They all have a passion for fishing, which shows in their lures designed to catch fish with a unique Japanese spin.
The brand was started by Mr. Kuni Niinomi, a serious angler who has fished worldwide. Niinomi is the brain behind all of the lure designs, works with choosing all of the colors, and then does the final testing before the baits are manufactured.
One thing they enjoyed about America, especially Florida, was how accessible fishing was. “Even though we were coming from a country of serious bass fishing, Florida was much different,” he said. “We were happy to find that you could go fishing very easily because there was so much water around.”
The team could go fishing in fresh and saltwater, and they caught numerous fish and checked off several new species.
Freshwater Fishing
Japan has plenty of bass, but the climate is much different than Florida, and the Whiplash Factory enjoyed catching bass in what seemed like a tropical environment. They were also very interested in unique species not found in Japan.
“While we can catch largemouth bass in Japan, what made the trip special was catching other fish we could not find in Japan,” Niinomi said. “In Japan’s temperate climate, no species like peacock bass or alligator gar exist. After a short time, Whiplash Factory baits got these fish to bite.”
One lure that these species seemed to like was the Flutterin’ Wire, a topwater bait with an attached blade, and the Thunder Buck Ram (TBR) jerkbait.
“At that time, the peacock bass were bedding and very sensitive to invaders,” he said. “They did not care about objects on the surface and were looking around more, so the Thunder Buck Ram was perfect when fished with short jerks of the rod. It would turn swiftly, roll, and flash to attract fish, which was the best way to catch them that day.”
They also caught several nice bass, and the Flutterin’ Wire topwater was a huge success. “Even though we only had limited lures to use, the Flutterin’ Wire was great because of how versatile it was,” he said. “It’s a topwater with a unique shape and can be used with a walk-the-dog retrieve, but the blade adds more vibration. You can also fish it with a normal swim retrieve, which will be very noisy, allowing us to catch several largemouth bass when fished this way.”
Saltwater Fishing
Since they were so close to the ocean, the Whiplash Factory team made a journey to the salt and were able to fool different species with their lures.
“One species we wanted to fish for and test out lures was the snook,” he said. “Most of our lures are made for freshwater-oriented tackle stores in America, but we couldn’t miss the saltwater fishing in Florida. We knew catching snook would not be easy, but we wanted to try our luck.”
They were able to catch a snook on the Live Wire Pencil, and while it was not a big one, it was tons of fun for them.
“On the beach, we were also able to catch fish with a lure made by Whiplash Factory’s sister brand, GoTo9, which makes metal lures for Japanese sea bass,” he said. “In the same area, we also caught another species, sea trout, on a Live Wire pencil bait. Our lures worked well in American waters, where many anglers say that spooky fish have seen every lure on the market.”
It was an excellent experience for the Whiplash Factory team to come to America to show off their lures to the fishing industry, but the chance to go fishing was just as exciting. They tested their lures for various species and worked well, landing fish in fresh and saltwater.
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